


Happy Family

by Dmonius



Category: DCU - Comicverse
Genre: Alternate Universe - Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-07-29
Updated: 2012-11-04
Packaged: 2017-11-10 23:45:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/472054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dmonius/pseuds/Dmonius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Wayne Family has a new member, the orphan Tim Drake.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Dick had just sneaked out of his room with the empty cup of cocoa in his hand, when he heard the silent sobbing and crying out of a room down the hall. He hesitated for a moment and listed into the night. For this moment, there was nothing beside the constant rain and the irregular thunder, but then the sobbing came again, the crying was back and Dick slowly sneaked forward and down the corridor.

He stopped at Damian's door, but there was nothing but silence in the two-year-old's room.

He stopped at Barbara's door, but there was only the clapping of Barbara's keyboard. She was probably chatting with Kara, Dinah or Helena.

He stopped at Stephanie's door, but there was only a dialogue, spoken by some bad actors of the soap Stephanie was catching up with.

He stopped at Cassandras door, but there was only silence. She was probably reading some book – she was the only person who even had a chance to achieve a comparable number of reading in comparison to Tim.

He stopped at Jason's door, but there was only the quiet rhythm of the bass, certainly belonging to the song his brother was hearing.

Then, Dick stopped at Tim's door and the sobbing and crying was only suppressed by the newest eruption of thunder. The thunderstorm was now going on for more than one hour, and they had even decided to interrupt patrol that night. Bruce and Selina were probably already asleep and Dick was now wondering, why the always-awake guardian of the night, Alfred, hadn't already taken care of the sobbing, but then, he decided that this was probably his task for the night.

He laid the cup on the floor and slowly opened the door.

“Tim?” he asked, but the seven-year-old didn't give an answer.

“Tim?” he asked again, and there he was.

“Go away.”

Oh, someone had been crying. Dick slowly opened the door a little more and entered the room. The room lay in complete darkness, but when the next lightning struck the lawn and illuminated the room, he could clearly make out the still barren interior; the only thing that indicated someone actually living in here were the photo of Tim with Dick and his parents in the circus and the shelf full of books.

“I told you to go away.”

Another sob and Dick already sat on the bet. “Hey, come on, Tim. I heard you crying.”

Dick reached out and touched the part of the blanket whose outward appearance clearly indicated that a person was lying underneath it.

“Let go. I'm fine.”

“Come on, Tim. What's the matter with you?”

Now, the sixteen-year-old was lying next to the other boy and caressed the body he could feel underneath the blanket. Six weeks ago, Bruce and Selina Wayne had decided to adopt Tim Jackson Drake into their family after his parents sudden death. With the five other adopted children and the one that was theirs by blood, they had hoped to give a warm home, even though they both lived their double lifes as Batman and Batwoman, protecting the city.

Dick saw, how Alfred closed the door and only nodded in his direction. Dick sighed and made himself comfortable. He suddenly laid on a book, pulled it out and with the next lightning and thunder could see that it was “A Christmas Carol” – only Tim could read such a book in the middle of July.

Dick had an exam in the morning, but that didn't mean that he could spend the night here, next to his crying little new brother to show him what being in a family really was about. He would be there for him, protecting him. When he closed his eyes and pulled Tim close, the other boy didn't mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Tim, sitting tailor-fashion on the Library's table, with a book on his knees, a glass of milk and some cookies in front of him, kept staring out of the window. The book – an old copy of Isaac Asimov's _End of Eternity_ – he didn't have a look at; the others outside, lying in the garden he didn't care about; Alfred vacuum-cleaning the Manor it what seems to be the blink of an eye didn't matter to him. The tapping of four feet, accompanied by a small “Meow” did he notice, then, and turned around.

“Meow”, Isis said again and climbed on the table. The nodding of her head was unmistakable and Tim removed the book from his lap, so the cat could climb on it and rest her head on his knees. He slowly started to stroke the uncrowned queen of the Wayne household – next to Selina or Mom, how he had to call her now, of course. Isis' purring came a moment after they had intertwined and Tim then caressed her head and her fluffy white chest and smiled.

“You should be grateful,” Selina said, “Isis chooses her friends wisely.”

He turned his head around and looked at her, but didn't say anything and just nodded to continue caressing the kitten.

Selina walked by and opened the window a bit; the noises of Dick, Jason, Barbara, Cassandra and Stephanie playing outside came inside and filled the silent library with the pleasure and fun that the noises not only consisted of but purely embodied.

“You should be outside and playing with the others, Tim.”

“I know Sel–...Mom, but I like staying inside. I hope that's okay...Mom.”

Selina sat down on a chair and only clapped her hands on her lap for Isis to abandon Tim and take position on her mistress's body. Tim looked at the woman, his new mother, and how she and the kitten rejoiced at each other in more than friendly recompense. When he had gotten the book back into his hands, Selina finally addressed him, “You don't have to call my Mom...or anyway else, you know.”

“I think I'm supposed to.”

“I'm not your mother, Tim. Did you read Harry Potter?””

“Of course,” the seven-year-old said. “More times than I can count.”

The former Catwoman and current Batwoman smiled and took Isis up to her chest before she left the chair and sat next to Tim on the table. She laid the kitten on his lap and touched his shoulder with her right hand while her left hand caressed the cat.

“Do you remember the moment in the third book,” Selina said, “when is told by Sirius that he...”

“...could live with his godfather when he's proven unguilty?”

“Exactly. You know, Tim...we are in a similar situation. Did you know why Harry was so happy about the chance to live with his godfather?”

“Because he... he could have... I don't know. Maybe family?”

Selina smiled and with her left hand moved a streak from his forehead. “We're family, Tim. Bruce, Dick, Jason, Cassandra, Stephanie, Alfred, Barbara, even Damian. We don't want to be your mother and father, my little stray kitten, just like Sirius didn't want to be Harry's father. But we can still be your family, my dear... 'Mom' and 'Dad' are just names, just like 'Selina' and 'Bruce' are just names. Harry wouldn't have replaced them, so why should you? We just offer you a place in our heart.”

Then she slowly embraced him and placed a kiss on the top of his head. Then, with a mischievous grin, added, “Just picture that you ended up with the Weasely Family instead.”

Tim smiled and grinned. Then, he took Isis up to his chest and laid her partly on his shoulders while he left the chair. Selina stayed on the table and watched him go. When Tim turned around and tiptoed to see her, he said, “I'm gonna go outside with her...Selina. I hope that's okay.”

Isis just said, “Meow.”


	3. Chapter 3

When Cassandra tripped and reached the floor, her face fell in a puddle of mud, mud that spread on all her clothes, hair and skin with only a few spots to miss. She looked up and saw the face of the bullies' leader, who all had awaited her behind the playhouse, her usual spot to read during the school break.

“What's up, rich kid?” Pamela Isley asked, “No Daddy around to fire mine, is there?”

Now, when Cassandra felt the hurt on her ankle and her knee and the bruise she would probably have on her arm, the tears intermingled with the mud on her face; when she tried to get up, Harleen Quinzel pushed her back in the mud.

“So, what is she gonna do now?” Pamela asked, “Are you gonna tell on us, rich kid?”

“Get away from her,” someone said, and the girls looked at the boy who stood a few meters back; Cassandra turned around and saw Jason standing there with both hands turned into fists.

“Whataya gonna do?” Harleen asked, her crazy-shrieking voice higher than before, “Boys don't hit girls, rich boy.”

“I won't hit you,” Jason said, “But she will.”

Cassandra looked up and saw how Stephanie had appeared on the other side of the house; they sure knew how to make a dramatic entrance and Cassandra started to get up, when Stephanie started to speak: “Get away from our sister. Or I'll show you who's the strong one, here.”

“You won't hit us,” Pamela replied, “We would tell on you.”

Stephanie made a step forward. “You really wanna test that?”

Jason passed Harleen and pushed Pamela in a rather ungentle way aside to finally help Cassandra get up. He held out his hand which Cassandra grabbed without any hesitation. After he had helped her up, Stephanie just did a mock jump forward, and the two bullies quickly ran away. Then, Steph took a tissue out of her jeans and cleaned Cassandra's face of mud and tears alike.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason just wants to play - and everything goes wrong.

Sometimes, Bruce had to congratulate himself. The idea of turning the greenhouse into a swimming pool hadn't actually been his idea, but he was the one to put most of his effort (and money, of course) into it. And now, with the sun decreasing behind a thick layer of November's clouds, he and Selina could spend a lot of their time with the children at the new swimming pool. When Bruce got back from his meeting with Lex Luthor, Selina stood in the hallway, still wearing her swimsuit, and Bruce greeted her with a short kiss.

“Hello, handsome,” she said, “You just missed Lois, Diana, Conner and Cassie.”

“What? A pity. Did you three have a nice time?”

“Actually, yes. Diana still doesn't seem to get into the gossip thing in men's world, but Conner and Cassie made delightful companions for our small Timmy. They'll come back this evening, so we can go out for a dinner.”

“Why don't Clark and Steve come as well? With Donna and Kara? Alfred can make a delicious dinner, I'm sure, and then we'll have a big family evening all together.”

Selina shrugged. “Why not. Honey, I'm going upstairs. Steph and Cassandra want to watch _Snow White_ again. Why don't you make sure that Jason and Tim get out of their bathing trunks. You wouldn't believe it, but this was the first time little Timmers swam without his water wings.”

Bruce smiled about the boy's progress, nodded and kissed his wife again. “You're doing a terrific job.”

“I know. Say that again, please.”

“Don't mention it.”

Bruce and his wife parted, and he quickly made his way into the former greenhouse. Where he expected loud noises and the laughter of his two middle sons, he only got silence. Bruce stopped at the entry and listened, but could only hear the gurgling of water. It took him one more second to finally realize that all he could see was one black thatch of hair. One black thatch of hair with a white streak in it, and the second one was totally missing.

Bruce made a step further.

“Jason, where is your brother?”

Jason looked up and saw him, his eyes going wide and his hands suddenly in the air. He looked down and backed off, but Bruce was there in in an instant and got his suit wet when he pulled the boy out of the water. He held him in the air and yelled, “Where is Tim?”

Jason just looked down and all Bruce could do was letting him fall on the ground when he had to bend down again; his entire suit was drenched a moment thereafter, but he pulled a small, coughing boy out of the water. He got out of his suit coat and put it around Tim, who had red eyes and coughed and coughed and coughed.

Jason got up and Bruce stared at the lean boy with inexplicable disbelief. “Get to your room.”

“But we were just –“

“Get out.”

Tim leaned against Bruce's chest and started to cry, even after the last Jason walked by, slowly thumping with his feet on the ground, so Bruce caught at his right ankle and said, “We're going to have a long talk about this. You're grounded for a month, no television, no computer, no cellphone, no iPod – you will not even be allowed to read. Now, get out and tell your mother what you did. I don't want to see you for the rest of the evening.”

When Jason was outside of the room, Bruce stood up and carried the boy up to his room. There was no crying anymore, Tim sobbed for a second and said, “Why is Jay always so mean to me, Dad?”

“I have no idea, Timmy. But you're alright?”

“I am now,” Tim said. He leaned closer against Bruce's chest, even though they had already reached the boy's room. He looked up to say, “I swam without water wings today, Bruce.”

Bruce laid the boy on his bed. “That's cool, Timmy. That's really cool.”


End file.
